Anastasia jerked her head back. When did she have the chance to be taught about poisons? And that too by Maple? 

Nyles continued. "All that poisoned blood must have pooled in her heart before stagnating in her lungs. That is why she was frothing." She grinned as if extremely happy about her success, as if ecstatic about her knowledge. "Oh that is not all!" she said with a gleam in her eyes. "That is the reason why your Fae qualities don't show up. I mean look at you. Even your ears aren't pointed!" She laughed hard, as she pressed her hand on her chest.

"That was award winning!" Ráild clapped his hands. He walked up to Nyles and kissed her on the cheek. "Isn't she brilliant?" he said with fondness and the handmaiden smiled under his gaze. 

Anastasia's body trembled. Her teeth clenched and if Ileus hadn't held her waist in his warm arm, she would have started shivering. "I wouldn't insult a snake by calling you that, Nyles," she managed to say. "For a snake only bites when it is attacked."

Nyles scowled. "As if I care. We are going to take you back to Vilinski. You will be whipped again and then the Crown Prince will marry you. By the time I will be marrying Ráild, the Crown Prince is going to kill you once and forever. And then— then he will rule the kingdom with no one to contend with him!"

Ráild looked at Anastasia and said, "Now that you know our plan, I suggest that you just get down the horse and come to us. We will take you back with us." 

"What if I refuse?" 

"Then it is going to be very bad for your friends out here. Not that I would spare them, but I will chop their bodies and litter them in this tunnel!" 

"Not before I chop you Ráild!" Ileus said with an icy rage. More raged growls could be heard from the back. 

"Back off vokudlak! The princess is worth thousands of people like you." He returned his gaze to her. "Are you coming on your own volition or do you want me to use force?" 

Anastasia looked down at the lake. A ripple formed over the surface. 

Slowly she raised her dagger under her cloak. "No. I am not!" she said and suddenly threw the dagger towards him. It struck Nyles just above her heart. It all happened so quickly that Nyles shrieked, jerked and on the impact, flung back some ten meters away. 

Ráild watched as Nyles screamed with pain as she slid on the ground before coming to a stop.

Anastasia stretched her hand forward. The dagger pulled out Nyles flesh and came in her hand leaving the handmaiden screaming and writhing in pain. 

Ráild eyes became wide with shock. 

"What did you say?" She asked Ráild with blazing eyes. "You want to use force? To take me?" She glared. "Then bring it on!" Anastasia said in a low guttural voice. 

"You bitch!" he shouted. 

And all hell broke loose. 

The Faes attacked them from all sides. Ileus jumped from the horse taking her along with her. "Kill them all!" he hissed.

"With pleasure!" she replied and swung her dagger to bring it upon the Fae who was right behind her. In a heartbeat Ileus went behind him. He brought his hands up to the Fae's wings and they snapped shut bringing him down with a thud. 

"Oh my god!" Anastasia gasped. "How did you do that?" 

He shrugged. "I emulated the magic used to shackle your wings." 

"Holy fuck!" she said with a chuckle. Her chest swelled with pride. And how did he know how to emulate magic? The man was mysterious. 

"You are cussing?" Ileus raised his eyebrow.

"I can't help it!"

"I love it!" Saying that he tore the wings of a soldier who tried to fly past him. 

All other werewolves and Mozias came instantly around them. Tadgh stabbed the Fae who had fallen on the ground repeatedly until he couldn't move. 

Darla fought with a guard with her sword as he beat his wings and fought with sword from the air. She had managed to stab his wings and the guard had shrieked in pain. All were fighting steel with steel, except Kaizan. He had shifted into his wolf form and had leapt ten feet off the ground to attack a guard's neck. He sank his fangs into his neck bringing him down. 

Ráild flew to Anastasia, his lips peeled back and fangs bared. As soon as he came to her, he turned to Ileus and attacked him with his sword. Ileus was ready. He stopped his sword with equal impact. "You are so going to die vokudlak!" Ráild hissed like a serpent. He retracted his sword and brought it down with force as if to slice him in half. 

Ileus ducked and swung his sword, bringing it to slash Ráild's thighs. "For a guard, you are miserable," Ileus growled, but he was punched on the head another Fae who was hovering around. His vision became dark and he swayed a little. 

Anastasia had run to the lattice railing of the bridge. She looked down at the lake. A ripple formed as the cluster started to rise. She brought her hand forward and the lake rippled violently. 

"Someone stop her!" Nyles shouted from where she was sitting. Her shoulder was in tremendous pain and she didn't know why she was feeling so weak. Even her wings weren't flaring. She got up to stop the princess. Every step she took was like wrenching her body from the inside. There was so much pain. She grabbed her stomach and puked. To her horror when she wiped her mouth with her sleeves, she found pink froth on it. She looked at Kaizan who had now shape shifted and was attacking Ráild. 

Suddenly his gaze slipped to her and he winked. He had given the remaining medicines in her bag to her after mixing them in the cup of tea he had offered her in the morning. 

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